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14|09|05

Minute of Advisory Committee for Scotland Meeting held on 14 September 2005

Present

Joyce Taylor – Chair, ACS
Selma Rahman – ACS
Fiona MacLeod – ACS
Julie Ramage – ACS
Susan Neal – ACS
Thomas Prag – ACS
Andrew Muir – ACS
Martin Robertson – ACS
Philip Schlesinger – ACS
Fiona Ballantyne – Ofcom Consumer Panel
Graham Howell – Ofcom (minute 2 to end)
Vicki Nash – Ofcom Scotland (minute 2 to end)
Alan Stewart – Ofcom Scotland (minute 2 to end)
Claire Mack – Ofcom Scotland (minute 2 to end)
Other Ofcom colleague (name withheld from published minutes) (minute 10 to end)

Setting the agenda; the Advisory Committee Workplan for the future

1. This was a private session to allow discussion amongst members. It would be discussed under Item 9.

Apologies for absence

2. Apologies were received from Jim Hunter (ACS), Matthew MacIver (Ofcom Content Board) and Neil Fraser (GMS)

Minutes and Matter Arising

3. The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed

4. Under matters arising, members’ interest in Options for Local TV had been noted. The remit of the project would be circulated to those who had expressed an interest in the project and an update would be provided at the next meeting. It was agreed to discuss ACS engagement with the Scottish Executive on broadband issues under Item 5.

Directors Report

5. The Ofcom Strategy Day will be held on 14 October 2005.

6. GMS have received a report from Deloitte’s regarding the set up of a Gaelic digital channel. All parties are seeking progress but some issues will be dependent upon the outcome of the BBC Charter review process.

7. There was discussion about the required divestments as part of the Emap/SRH merger. ACS was keen that options should be considered that mean no diminution of services to listeners. It was agreed to update members before the next meeting about progress.

8. ACS was updated on the Review of the Independent Production Sector. The consultation will be launched before the next meeting and will be sent to members and a review of the research would be brought to the next meeting. ACS would like to respond to this consultation and liaise with other committees to ensure that national and regional differences are represented and that any areas of consensus are articulated.

Telecoms Issues – Andrew Muir

9. The presentation looked specifically at telecoms infrastructure in Scotland and the options for broadband provision. ACS was interested in the public sector open access model. ACS would like a view from Ofcom about the issues raised by TSR in relation to Scotland and would like to draw Ofcom’s attention to these issues. ACS was asked to assist Ofcom in its Audit of Nations and Regions in this area by providing any sources of information to support hypothesis in relation to broadband provision and black spots.

Audit of the Nations and Regions

10. ACS was presented with the scope of the project and key issues for the data gathering exercise. They stressed the importance of statistically valid information for Scotland. The project is designed to highlight areas that may need further probing. Postcode level data would be ideal. Results will be presented throughout the project for stakeholders to give feedback on. ACS will also be presented with these finding. It is possible that an extra meeting could be scheduled or a sub-group could be formed for the project. ACS would submit thoughts on the project.

Helplines – use of 0870 numbers

11. ACS had received a direct communication on this in relation to their use during the London bombings. ACS was updated on Ofcom’s current policy in this area. A response would be drafted and signed by the Chair. The Consumer Panel had also done work in this area and had concluded that revenue sharing was not inappropriate in general but that a geographic numbering choice should be available to consumers. It had also highlighted a gap in consumer awareness and information provision to callers before they made a call to a 0870 number. Price Transparency would be discussed as part of the Numbering Review.

Ed Richard’s Westminster Media Forum Speech

12. Members discussed the issues raised by the speech and agreed key areas of concern were the future of content regulation, licence fee sustainability, supplier power, regulating in the interests of citizens and consumers, media literacy and deregulatory strategy.

Ofcom Strategy Planning Day

13. ACS suggested that Ofcom’s priorities for 2006/7 should be:

Media literacy was something that members considered should be higher on the agenda and given the pace of convergence should be a key aspect in all of Ofcom’s work. The results of the N&R Audit would give a clearer picture for priorities in all areas however the take up of new technologies is heavily dependent upon consumers being able to see the advantages and actually being able to use them. Partners such as the Scottish Executive should be encouraged to have more involvement. Ofcom Scotland could commission a paper for presentation to the Executive perhaps once the results of the Audit are available to flag up key areas of concern from a Scottish perspective. Issues that the ACS had agreed to prioritise as a Committee were:

The Strategy Day would be held on 14 October 2005

Dates of Meetings for 2006

14. There had been requests from other committees to meet the ACS. Ofcom Advisory Committee for Older and Disabled People (ACOD) would attend the September 2006 meeting. The Consumer Panel had meeting dates set but were keen to link up with ACS. It was agreed that ACS would look at their dates to try to accommodate this request. ACS had arranged to meet the BBC’s Broadcasting Council for Scotland on 2 December 2005. Arrangements would be forwarded to members.

OCC Information

15. A report on figures for the last quarter was presented to ACS. To date there had been 65 complaints to Ofcom over the ‘Make Poverty History’ advertisement ruling.

AOB

16. An email of thanks to ACS had been received regarding the stakeholder dinner held on the previous evening. Ofcom had noted comments from ACS on community radio licence awards in Scotland. ACOD have advertised for two new members, the closing date for applications is 7 October 2005 and members were asked to disseminate this information to their contacts. Members expressed an interest in having an update at some future meeting from Peter Black, the Independent Telecoms Adjudicator. Members were asked to email any other potential agenda items to the Chair.

17. ACS expressed their thanks to Vicki Nash as Chair for the past year and to Ofcom Scotland staff for administration. ACS was pleased with the success of their stakeholder dinner the evening before and would actively seek other linkages with stakeholders.


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